https://www.scmp.com/rss/501877/feed The 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), commonly known as Philippines 2019, will be the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which will be hosted by the Philippines from 30 November to 11 December 2019. This will be the fourth time that the Philippines will host the games and its first time since 2005. This edition is most notable for being the first edition to include e-sports as well as having the highest number of sports in the history of the... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Singapore’s badminton world champion Loh Kean Yew had to settle for silver after being stunned in the men’s final at the SEA Games by Thailand’s rising star Kunlavut Vitidsarn on Sunday. The 21-year-old Kunlavut won gold with a 21-13, 21-13 victory in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi on the last day of competition at the regional Games. World No 10 Loh took the lead in the first game but his Thai rival, ranked 18th and a three-time world junior champion, battled back to draw level before pulling... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3178720/badminton-world-champion-loh-kean-yew-stunned-sea-games-final?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3178720/badminton-world-champion-loh-kean-yew-stunned-sea-games-final?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 May 2022 12:42:12 +0000 The 2021 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) have been moved to 2022 after the country announced in July that the biennial multi-sport event would be postponed from its planned November start date due to the spread of Covid-19. The regional Games, which feature 11 national Olympic committee teams competing in 520 events across 40 sports, will now be held in Hanoi during an as yet unspecified two week period in May 2022. Vietnam suffered a huge spike in coronavirus cases earlier this year and the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3152838/vietnams-southeast-asian-games-given-may-2022-start-date-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3152838/vietnams-southeast-asian-games-given-may-2022-start-date-after?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Oct 2021 05:06:58 +0000 Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism Thong Khon declared construction work on the country’s sparkling new National Stadium completed earlier this week, concluding a China-funded project that took over four years to complete. The first images of the completed 60,000-seater venue, which is located on the northern outskirts of the nation’s capital Phnom Penh, are arresting and display the key features of the stadium’s unique design. The stadium is designed to resemble a ship with two “prow” structures... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3145609/stunning-new-cambodian-national-stadium-opens-phnom-penh-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3145609/stunning-new-cambodian-national-stadium-opens-phnom-penh-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Aug 2021 07:34:47 +0000 Filipino basketball sensation Kai Sotto is used to pressure. The towering 18-year-old is forever accompanied by his proud, basketball-obsessed homeland, taking note of his every move as he edges closer to becoming the first full-blooded Filipino to play in the NBA. Sotto is days away from one of several historic moves as he travels to California to meet his new NBA G-League Select Team teammates. The hotly tipped centre, who stands at 2.18m (7’2”), rather unconventionally opted for the G-League... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3098053/i-want-be-best-asia-filipino-basketball-prodigy-kai-sotto-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3098053/i-want-be-best-asia-filipino-basketball-prodigy-kai-sotto-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Aug 2020 02:00:17 +0000 The clatter of skateboards echoes around an indoor park in Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital. A round of applause erupts as a skater masters a kickflip after several failed attempts. Elsewhere, bodies gleaming with sweat tackle the ramps and rails that fill the centre. Some of the skaters are nurturing dreams of representing their country in this burgeoning sport one day. For others, it is an escape from the streets and a break from the shackles of poverty. “Skateboarding didn’t really exist 10... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3096862/skateboarding-cambodia-how-tony-hawk-australian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3096862/skateboarding-cambodia-how-tony-hawk-australian?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Aug 2020 23:15:08 +0000 The sporting world is on hiatus because of the world’s battle against Covid-19 and that means finding alternative ways to spend your time. It turns out that there is more to life than the English Premier League, Uefa Champions League and NBA. In fact, there is more to sport than elite men’s competition in major sports contested by millionaires employed by billionaires. There is plenty of action at the muddier end of the grassroots. Take Fierljeppen, the Dutch sport/way to cross a canal that is... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3079166/canal-leaping-death-diving-and-bog-snorkelling-worlds-weirdest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3079166/canal-leaping-death-diving-and-bog-snorkelling-worlds-weirdest?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2020 02:00:13 +0000 Singaporean jiu-jitsu prodigy Constance Lien has become a national treasure ever since being crowned world champion at the World International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Championships in 2019, but the former national swimmer’s transition into combat sports was no easy feat. Born into a family of athletes – her mother was a national team swimmer and her sister is a current one – the 20-year-old purple belt recalled the mental and physical tolls experienced as a teen. Aside from the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3074882/singaporean-jiu-jitsu-world-champion-constance-lien-fighting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3074882/singaporean-jiu-jitsu-world-champion-constance-lien-fighting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2020 06:00:14 +0000 A tearful Eumir Felix Marcial made an emotional dedication to his father Eulalio after fulfilling a lifelong dream by qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old middleweight, who suffered qualifying heartbreak before the 2016 Rio Games, defeated Mongolia’s Byamba-Erden Otgonbaatar after the referee stopped the fight in the third round of their Asian Oceania Olympic qualifying quarter-final bout in Amman, Jordan on Sunday night. His presence in the semi-final assures him a place in the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3074287/tokyo-2020-emotional-eumir-felix-marcial-dedicates-olympic-berth-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3074287/tokyo-2020-emotional-eumir-felix-marcial-dedicates-olympic-berth-his?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2020 08:53:00 +0000 Caviar Acampado is a Sea Games gold medallist – and he did not even need to leave his computer screen. After a decade as a professional gamer, Acampado, 27, landed the Philippines its last gold medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games’ e-sports category as he beat Singapore’s contender in the computer game Starcraft II. By the end of the campaign, the Philippine e-sports team had won three gold medals, the most of any team. The regional championship, which took place last December, was the first... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3050700/e-sports-and-philippines-electronic-love-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3050700/e-sports-and-philippines-electronic-love-story?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Feb 2020 02:00:06 +0000 The headlines from the SEA Games, which concluded in the Philippines on Wednesday night, have not all been positive. There were a slew of organisational errors that saw a shortage of halal food for Muslim athletes, football teams training on the street and confusion over accommodation. Organisers apologised before the Games had even started, Then there was the typhoon that wrought havoc on events and online outrage at the behaviour of athletes to one another and a trending hashtag:... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3041829/sea-games-philippines-tops-medal-table-amid-organisational-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3041829/sea-games-philippines-tops-medal-table-amid-organisational-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Dec 2019 09:18:39 +0000 Asian boxing phenom Eumir Marcial took a remarkable 71 seconds to win gold at the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games middleweight boxing finals in the Philippines on Monday. The 24-year-old Filipino stunned opponent Nguyen Manh Cuong of Vietnam with two brutal left straights within the first 30 seconds, prompting the referee to give a standing eight count. Marcial finished the job with a flush shot to the liver, dropping Cuong and leaving no option, but for the referee to wave the fight off at the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3041388/sea-games-filipino-boxing-sensation-eumir-marcial-takes-just-71?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3041388/sea-games-filipino-boxing-sensation-eumir-marcial-takes-just-71?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Dec 2019 04:56:16 +0000 Sixteen-year-old Julianne* was trafficked into the Philippine sex industry two years ago. She makes between US$40 and US$80 a week, which goes straight to her family of six. As dusk falls and men flock to the bar where she works, she chews her nails nervously. The past week has been scarier than usual. There has been a surge in foreign tourists to Angeles City, one of the 23 locations where the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) are taking place this year. A total of 8,750 athletes from 11... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3041328/sea-games-foreign-tourist-surge-philippines-sees-rising?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3041328/sea-games-foreign-tourist-surge-philippines-sees-rising?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Dec 2019 01:00:16 +0000 Joseph Schooling and his Singapore teammates added another gold in the 4x100m medley at the Southeast Asian Games on Monday night but missed out on setting a new event record. The quartet finished in 3.38:63 with Olympic champion Schooling on the third leg swimming butterfly, when the second place Philippines team saw their medal hopes dashed after one of their swimmers had to stop because of waterlogged goggles coming off. Thailand were also disqualified in the race. That gold in the final... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3041311/sea-games-joseph-schooling-and-quah-siblings-lead-singapore-23?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3041311/sea-games-joseph-schooling-and-quah-siblings-lead-singapore-23?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2019 11:36:44 +0000 Brunei’s dashing Prince Abdul Mateen Bolkiah has competed at this year’s 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines. He represented his country in polo, as he did in Malaysia in 2017 alongside his sister, Princess Azemah Ni’matul Bolkiah. Prince Abdul Mateen, 28, and his sister, 35, were not the only Asian royals who took part in the various athletic events. Brunei has a tradition steeped in passion for athletic glory. Asian royalty in quest for glory View this post... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3041220/bruneis-prince-abdul-mateen-bolkiah-and-other-asian-royals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3041220/bruneis-prince-abdul-mateen-bolkiah-and-other-asian-royals?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2019 07:30:10 +0000 Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie, aka Jojo, is a badminton phenom and viral internet hit. He is an idol in his home country, and at only 22 is considered a prime candidate for gold in Tokyo 2020. “I keep in my mind that someday, I will make Indonesia proud,” says Christie. This young man has been on the international stage since 2013, when he was 15 and won his first international senior title at the Indonesia International Challenge. He beat a far more experienced (and 11 years older) Alamsyah... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3041187/5-facts-about-indonesias-jonatan-christie-badminton-pin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3041187/5-facts-about-indonesias-jonatan-christie-badminton-pin?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Dec 2019 02:22:11 +0000 Singapore swimmer Joseph Schooling failed to defend his 100m freestyle title at the Southeast Asian Games after teammate Darren Chua won gold in the New Clark City Aquatic Complex in the Philippines. The Olympic champion took second in the men’s 100m freestyle crown with 49.64 as Chua clocked 49.59 – a personal best for the 19-year-old. Schooling secured gold in the 100m butterfly and 4 x 100m relay Friday night. Overall, Schooling now has three golds at the 2019 Games, with the other coming in... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3041157/sea-games-joseph-schooling-loses-teammate-darren-chua-100m?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3041157/sea-games-joseph-schooling-loses-teammate-darren-chua-100m?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Dec 2019 11:56:54 +0000 The north of the Philippines has been hit by some of its worst flooding in decades, with torrents of muddy run-off forcing 66,000 from their homes and prompting rescues of trapped locals, authorities said on Friday. Luzon island, the nation’s largest, has been hit by a string of storms that have battered its northern tip while monsoon rains were intensified by the passage of Typhoon Kammuri this week. Large swathes of lush green land were inundated after rivers burst their banks, leaving only... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3041034/typhoon-kammuri-flooding-forces-tens-thousands-their-homes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3041034/typhoon-kammuri-flooding-forces-tens-thousands-their-homes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Dec 2019 14:41:51 +0000 Singaporean swim star Joseph Schooling bounced back from his shock defeat in the Southeast Asian Games 50m butterfly final in the Philippines with victory in the 100m butterfly on Friday evening. The Olympic champion powered through to finish first in 51.84 just ahead of teammate Quah Zheng Wen in second in 51.87. Both swimmers have now booked their place in the Tokyo Olympic Games next summer. His time was good enough for regional gold but still a way off his Rio 2016 winning time of 50.39 when... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3040988/sea-games-joseph-schooling-wins-gold-100m-butterfly-another?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3040988/sea-games-joseph-schooling-wins-gold-100m-butterfly-another?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Dec 2019 10:22:31 +0000 Singapore’s Tzen Wei Teong and Olympic champion Joseph Schooling went one-two in the final of the 50m butterfly at the Southeast Asian Games in Philippines on Thursday night. Teong took gold in a sluggish 23.55 seconds with Schooling behind in 23.61. Indonesia’s Glenn Sutanto rounded out the podium claiming bronze in 23.84. Schooling was the three-time defending champion in Clark, and was expected to retain his 50m crown, but Teong delivered a personal best time after a fine start. “It was a... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3040810/sea-games-joseph-schooling-takes-silver-singapore-strike-one-two?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3040810/sea-games-joseph-schooling-takes-silver-singapore-strike-one-two?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2019 10:34:56 +0000 If you don’t know who Aries Susanti is, you are missing out on an idol in the making. Reasonably new on the sports scene, she is rapidly climbing to the top of the leader boards. Soon, she’ll be as popular worldwide as she is in her home country of Indonesia. Here are five things to know about Aries Susanti. 5 things about Joseph Schooling, Singapore’s first Olympic gold champion She is nicknamed Spider-Woman View this post on Instagram #Repost @teguh.jogja... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3040720/5-things-know-about-aries-susanti-indonesias-spider-woman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3040720/5-things-know-about-aries-susanti-indonesias-spider-woman?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2019 07:00:12 +0000 The Southeast Asian Games 2019 have proved controversial since even before they opened and that has only intensified since the competition got under way last week. In the pencak silat, an Indonesian martial art, there was controversy on Tuesday during the Class B bout between Philippine fighter Dines Dumaan and Faizul M. Nasir from Malaysia. After being dropped to the floor and trying a take-down, the prone Nasir was kicked in the head by defending champion Dumaan and knocked unconscious. Host... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3040514/sea-games-2019-online-outrage-malaysian-athlete-knocked?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3040514/sea-games-2019-online-outrage-malaysian-athlete-knocked?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2019 05:00:17 +0000 Typhoon Kammuri killed at least three people on its way out of the Philippines on Tuesday after unleashing heavy rain and fierce winds that prompted the closure of Manila’s international airport until the evening. Police said one man was crushed by a falling tree and another killed by a flying piece of timber, both on the island of Mindoro south of the capital. A man was electrocuted on Monday while securing a roof ahead of the storm’s arrival. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte cancelled work... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3040405/typhoon-kammuri-leaves-trail-death-and-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3040405/typhoon-kammuri-leaves-trail-death-and-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Dec 2019 10:01:04 +0000 Royson Vincent took a bronze medal at the Southeast Asian Games in 2017, and in August the 23-year-old made his old Kenyan running coach smile when he clocked 1:50.56 at the Malaysian championships, making him the top-ranked at that distance in the region. Vincent is a bit of a running man of mystery, coming out of nowhere to compete among the world’s best. So what do we know about him so far? 5 reasons why Eumir Marcial is more than ‘the next Manny Pacquiao’ 1. He is eyeing gold again Good... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3040344/5-things-know-about-runner-royson-vincent-malaysias-hope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3040344/5-things-know-about-runner-royson-vincent-malaysias-hope?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Dec 2019 07:00:11 +0000 At least one person has died and tens of thousands have been evacuated as Typhoon Kammuri hits the Philippines’ main Luzon island. Kammuri has continued to gain strength, now packing maximum winds of 175km/h near the centre and gusts of up to 240km/h, the nation’s weather bureau said late on Monday. The 20th storm to enter the Philippines this year is following a track similar to typhoon Rammasun in July 2014, which killed 106 people in the Southeast Asian country and damaged property worth 38.6... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3040163/sea-games-could-be-disrupted-typhoon-kammuri-heads?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3040163/sea-games-could-be-disrupted-typhoon-kammuri-heads?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2019 04:00:49 +0000 President Rodrigo Duterte and boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao threw open the doors to the Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines on Saturday as a powerful typhoon took aim at the nation’s north and the competition’s core venues. In a spectacle filled with Philippine tradition and stardom, the nation welcomed thousands of competitors from around the region for 11 days of games that got off to a rough start due to transport snafus and a last-minute rush to wrap up construction. As the Games... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3040088/sea-games-manny-pacquiao-and-philippines-president-rodrigo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3040088/sea-games-manny-pacquiao-and-philippines-president-rodrigo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Dec 2019 04:06:36 +0000 Joseph Isaac Schooling was 13 when he met his idol, Michael Phelps, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Little did he know that he would be competing against the most decorated Olympian of all time in a few years. “Singapore’s flying fish” upstaged the American in the 100 metre butterfly final at the 2016 Olympics in Rio to claim the gold medal, the first Singaporean swimmer to do so. Here are five things to know about Schooling. View this post on... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3039895/5-things-know-about-swimmer-joseph-schooling-singapores?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3039895/5-things-know-about-swimmer-joseph-schooling-singapores?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Nov 2019 06:00:10 +0000 As the Philippines comes calling for his services once more at the 2019 SEA Games, Team Lakay linchpin Mark Sangiao is hoping to produce the same magic that catapulted him to prominence as both MMA and wushu coach. “Coach Mark”, as he is affectionately known, has a knack for honing home-grown talent and has never failed to produce a world champion in whichever sport he dips his toes into. Sangiao has been tapped to coach the national kick-boxing team at the Games in the Philippines. The... https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3039936/sea-games-team-lakays-mark-sangiao-brings-one?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/martial-arts/mixed-martial-arts/article/3039936/sea-games-team-lakays-mark-sangiao-brings-one?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2019 08:01:58 +0000 A slew of criticisms surrounding the Philippines’ hosting of the Southeast Asian Games has prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to order an investigation. The Philippine Senate has separately announced its own inquiry into the debacle. “The office of the president will also be conducting a separate probe on the aberrations and irregularities in the administration of our country’s hosting of the SEA Games immediately after the games,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement. He... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3039723/philippines-duterte-orders-investigation-sea-games-debacle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3039723/philippines-duterte-orders-investigation-sea-games-debacle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Nov 2019 05:10:21 +0000 A half-painted stadium with few working toilets and a “media centre” resembling a barely lit warehouse; bad roads leading to unfinished venues; teams waiting hours for transport and then being forced to sleep on hotel floors. The official theme the Philippines has chosen for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games is “We Win As One”, but in the lead-up to their November 30 start there is an unofficial one that has become all too evident: “We are not ready.” This unpreparedness is on display in everything... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3039445/sea-games-dutertes-philippines-liked-fyre-festival-after-series?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3039445/sea-games-dutertes-philippines-liked-fyre-festival-after-series?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2019 12:00:13 +0000 The Philippines has been receiving media attention for all the wrong reasons ahead of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, which officially begin on November 30. The country has apologised to athletes and vowed to do better after teething problems were experienced by teams who arrived over the weekend for the competition’s football tournament, which started on Monday. Organisers said such snags occur in international sporting events because of the number of countries and athletes involved. But... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3039451/sea-games-how-philippines-scored-own-goal-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3039451/sea-games-how-philippines-scored-own-goal-start?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2019 11:30:07 +0000 Philippines Muslim officials are hoping SEA Games organisers can work quickly to ensure a sufficient supply of halal food to visiting delegations after some teams complained about a shortage of meals for their Muslim athletes. Ramadan Aguan, information officer with the National Commission for Filipino Muslims (NCFM), said games organisers had ignored reminders from the body to serve halal food, which means no pork and meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic rituals. Food issues and other... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3039392/sea-games-2019-singapore-muslim-athletes-served-pork-despite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3039392/sea-games-2019-singapore-muslim-athletes-served-pork-despite?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2019 07:24:35 +0000 Thailand’s football team were forced to train on the street, Timor Leste players were taken to the wrong hotel, while foreign journalists were made to rifle through a pile of media passes left on a table to find their accreditation. These are the reports coming out of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines, before they have officially opened. Cambodia’s footballers complained they had to sleep on the floor of their hotel’s function room because the rooms were not ready and Myanmar... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3039328/sea-games-2019-training-street-sleeping-function-room-floors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3039328/sea-games-2019-training-street-sleeping-function-room-floors?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2019 01:28:00 +0000 The Southeast Asian Games get underway from November 30 in the Philippines and the competition is set to be more intense than ever. The region’s countries had a historic breakthrough at the Rio Olympics in 2016 with Vietnamese shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh and Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling winning first ever golds for their respective nations. In Brazil, Southeast Asian athletes were among the best in the world at weightlifting, badminton, shooting, cycling, taekwondo, swimming and diving. Some... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3039230/sea-games-2019-who-you-should-be-looking-out-philippines-upcoming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3039230/sea-games-2019-who-you-should-be-looking-out-philippines-upcoming?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2019 00:00:11 +0000 Their Filipino mothers brought them into this world and it is only right that they learn the country’s national anthem. Most of the Philippines Volcanoes rugby sevens team are mixed race; players who have lived abroad for most of their lives and had little or no connection with the Filipino culture – until now. Rugby has brought together players of Filipino heritage from all over the world and captain Rob Fogerty said it was time they learned Lupang Hinirang (Chosen Land) so they could sing it... https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/3038767/tokyo-2020-philippines-rugby-sevens-players-learn-national-anthem-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/rugby/article/3038767/tokyo-2020-philippines-rugby-sevens-players-learn-national-anthem-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Nov 2019 00:00:16 +0000 Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has had to step in and douse the flames of one Southeast Asian Games fire – just so another can burn brightly. The country’s leader has defended the price tag of the 50-million pesos (US$985,000, HK$7.6 million) cauldron at Clark City on which the Southeast Asian Games, also called the SEA Games, flame will burn from November 30 and December 11. Duterte was backing politician and SEA Games organising committee chairman Alan Peter Cayetano, who was criticised... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3038584/president-rodrigo-duterte-fuels-sea-games-fire-defending-us985000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3038584/president-rodrigo-duterte-fuels-sea-games-fire-defending-us985000?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Nov 2019 08:21:09 +0000 Downhill skateboarder Harry Clarke knew he was good. He had conquered the hills of Sai Kung, Tai Tam and Tai Mo Shan and was winning everything in Hong Kong. He felt the time was ripe to take on the rest of Asia. So he and his friends entered some events in the Philippines – and were promptly thrashed. It was an eye-opener for the former King George V School student but he was determined to improve. He decided to hang around in the Philippines and compete against the locals until he was as good,... https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3033576/hong-kong-world-champion-harry-clarke-used-get-whipped-filipino?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/hong-kong/article/3033576/hong-kong-world-champion-harry-clarke-used-get-whipped-filipino?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Oct 2019 08:41:03 +0000 There is a golden buzz hovering over the Philippines like never before, with even boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao feeling the vibes – and it is not only because the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games are around the corner. While enthusiasm remains high for a healthy haul of gold medals at the November 30 to December 11 Games in and around Manila, Filipinos are now daring to look beyond regional glory after some of their top athletes recently raised hopes of a first-ever gold at Olympic level. At the... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3033024/philippines-dreams-olympic-gold-after-carlos-yulo-heroics-manny?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3033024/philippines-dreams-olympic-gold-after-carlos-yulo-heroics-manny?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Oct 2019 08:52:57 +0000 They had one small fish between them and no money in their pockets. Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial, being the gentleman he is, said to his girlfriend, Princess Galarpe: “I’m not hungry, you eat the fish.” In their eight years together, Galarpe said she and the now-superstar fighter had gone through some difficult days – financially and emotionally – but their relationship has strengthened and he remains the same humble and gracious person she remembers when they first met as budding, teenaged... https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3031532/eumir-marcial-no-manny-pacquiao-next-big-thing-filipino-boxing-he-eyes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/boxing/article/3031532/eumir-marcial-no-manny-pacquiao-next-big-thing-filipino-boxing-he-eyes?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Oct 2019 05:06:32 +0000 Swimmers wearing snorkels and gripping short, curved sticks dive to the bottom of a pool in Malaysia and charge at a puck as they compete in an energetic game of underwater hockey. Invented in the 1950s in Britain – where it is known as “Octopush” – to help divers keep fit during the winter months, the game has gained a small but dedicated following from Europe to Asia. This year the unusual discipline is set to debut at the Southeast Asian Games, the region’s biennial mini-Olympics that... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3030439/southeast-asian-games-2019-underwater-hockey-make-waves-sea-debut?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3030439/southeast-asian-games-2019-underwater-hockey-make-waves-sea-debut?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2019 05:28:40 +0000 Tan Min-Liang read a letter criticising the inclusion of e-sports as a medal discipline at this year’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. So the chief of gaming hardware and software company Razer decided to troll the writer by handing out S$10 million (US$7.25 million) for the development of e-sports in Singapore – including funding the country’s team at the November 30 to December 11 SEA Games in the Philippines. In a Facebook post on Monday, Tan praised minister for trade and industry Chan Chun... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3026519/10-million-troll-razer-chief-tan-min-liang-funds-singapore-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3026519/10-million-troll-razer-chief-tan-min-liang-funds-singapore-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Sep 2019 07:33:51 +0000 It is 100 days until the start of the Southeast Asian Games, which will take place in the Philippines from Saturday, November 30, until Wednesday, December 11. First competed in 1896, this is the 30th edition of the event. The 2019 Southeast Asian Games will be the fourth time that the Philippines has held the biennial event after 1981, 1991 and 2005. They stepped in to replace original hosts Brunei, although the new hosts nearly pulled out themselves before reaffirming their commitment last... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3023741/sea-games-philippines-2019-guide-biggest-edition-yet-100-days-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3023741/sea-games-philippines-2019-guide-biggest-edition-yet-100-days-go?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Aug 2019 00:00:10 +0000